Support, cord reel, and latch for suction cleaners



y 0, 1954 M. H. RIPPLE 2,683,888

SUPPORT, CORD REEL, AND LATCH FOR SUCTION CLEANERS Filed Oct. 18, 1950 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOH.

(ATTORNEY.

M. H/ RXPPLE July 20, 1954 SUPPORT, CORD REEL, AND LATCH FOR SUCTIONCLEANERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 18, 1950 INVL'NTOR. Me/W'fl fl RIPOle any W5 ATTORNEY.

Patented July 20, 1954 T OFFIC SUPPORT, CORD REEL, AND LATCH FOR SUCTIONCLEANERS Melvin H. Ripple, Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hoover Company,North Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio 8 Claims. 1

This invention relates to suction cleaners and more particularly to atank or canister type cleaner in which suitable cleaning tools may beconnected to the motor-ian-filter unit by means of a flexible hose.

More specifically, according to the present invention, a tubularcleaning body is supported for movement over a surface by a pair ofsupporting skids at one end and by a single, centrally located skid atthe other end. All of the skids are upwardly sloped at their forwardends and the pair of rear supporting skids are made reentrant at theirrear ends so that the conductor cord for conducting electricity to thepower unit may be wound thereon. The single skid at the opposite end ofthe cleaner is movably attached to the casing so that its free end maybe moved away from the casing to form complementary means at the frontend of the casing about which the conductor cord may be wound. Thesingle supporting skid is curved downwardly from the body of the casingand has its free end normally positioned against the casing which may bemoved away therefrom during the cord winding operation.

According to another feature of the present invention a removable endcap is provided for the casing at the end adjacent the single movablymounted supporting skid, and movement of the skid relative to the casingreleases the latch mechanism which latches the end cap to the casing.

According to another feature of the present invention the single skid ismovable to one position relative to the casing to permit the winding ofthe cord about the skids without releasing the end cap latch and ismovable to a second position relative to the casing to release thelatch.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent asthe description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side View of a tank or canister type cleaner showing thepresent invention applied thereto;

Figure 2 is an end View of the cleaner of Fig. 1; and

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 lookingin the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings the reference numeral I represents the casingof a tank or canister type cleaner supported for movement over a surfaceby two rear skids II and I2 and a single front skid I3 and is adapted tobe carried about by a carrying handle I4.

The exhaust or blower end of the casing I0 is closed by a blower end capI5 and the suction end is closed by a suction end cap I6.

Encased within the casing I9 is a motor-fanfilter unit 9 well known tothe art. In such units the motor-fan unit is positioned adjacent theblower end cap I5 and a filter bag is removably supported adjacent thesuction end cap it and is adapted to be periodically removed so that thefilter can be cleaned or replaced. One end of a suction hose is adaptedto be connected to the female connector I! and its other end attached toany suitable suction cleaning tool whereby the dirt removed by thecleaning tool will be deposited in the filter bag within the casingbehind the end cap it. For that reason the suction end cap I6 is soassembled to the casing Ill as to be readily removable therefrom.

The top front of the casing Ill is provided with an upwardly openingsocket I8 adapted to receive a lug I9 carried by the end cap iii. Thelower edge of the end cap I6 is clamped to the open end of easing I llby a mechanism to be presently described. A gasket 20 lies between theend cap it and the end ring of the casing it to seal the joint betweenthem.

Referring to Fig. 3 the skid l 3 is pivoted to the bottom centralportion of casing I0, to the rear of end cap I6, as at 2!. The skid i3is biased clockwise by a spring 22 so that its end 23 is normally heldagainst the bottom wall of casing I0 immediately to the rear of end capit. Inwardly of the pivot 2! the skid I3 is provided with an overhangingflange 2- 5 which, under certain conditions, is adapted to contact therear end of an end cap latch lever 25, pivoted to the casing ID at 26and is spring-biased counter-clockwise by a spring 21. At its forwardend the latch lever 25 is provided with a hook 28, operativelyengageable with a pin 29 suitably carried by the end cap I6 near itsbottom edge.

As previously stated, the end 23 of skid i3 is normally held against thebottom wall of the casing It by spring 22. It is also latched in thatposition by a detent spring 36 having a hump 3i, below which aprotuberance 32 on skid i3 is positioned when the end 23 of skid l3rests against the bottom wall of casing to. Detent spring 313 is alsoprovided with a recess 33 in which the protuberance $2 is positioned inan intermediate position of the skid it in which its end 23 is separatedfrom the bottom wall of casing 10, whereby the loops of the conductorcord 34 may be easily wound beneath the end 23 of skid I3 and into thespace between the skid I3 and the bottom wall of the casing I0.

The detent spring is also provided with a hump above which theprotuberance 32 is adapted to be positioned when the skid I3 is in latchreleasing position. When the skid I3 is moved to such a position itsoverhanging flange engages the rear end 36 of lever 25 to pivot thelever clockwise and raise the hook 28 from behind the pin 29 and thusrelease the end cap for removal.

The rear skids H and I2 are reentrant forwardly as shown at 37 (Fig. 1)and also reentrant inwardly at 38 and 39 (Fig. 2) whereby the conductorcord 34 may, in cooperation with skid 53, be supported in its woundcondition.

Operation If it is desired to merely wind the cord 34 about, or tounwind the cord 34 from the skids H, 12, and iii, the skid I3 is pulleddownwardly to a position in which the protuberance 32 en'- gages inrecess 33 whereby the end 23 of the skid will be spaced from the bottomwall of the casing H! to permit the easy looping of cord 34 between theskid it and the casing I0.

If it is desired to release the end cap 46, as when a filter bag needscleaning or replacement, the skid I3 is turned further counter-clockwisefrom the dotted line position of Fig. 3, to bring the protuberancebehind the hump 35 of spring 38. In such a position the flange 24 ofskid l3 will have engaged the end 35 of latch lever 25 to pivot itclockwise and remove the hook 28 from behind the pin 23 and thus releasethe suction end cap it for removal from the casing it.

While I have shown but a single embodiment of my invention it is to beunderstood that that embodiment is to be taken as illustrative only andnot in a limiting sense. I do not wish to be limited to the particularstructure shown and described but to include all equivalent variationsthereof except as limited by the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. A tank type suction cleaner comprising, an elongated body, a pair ofrear supports and a single front support for supporting said body forambulatory movement, said rear supports being reentrant forwardly andinwardly to consitute rear storage hooks for a conductor cord, saidfront support being pivoted to said body on a horizontal axis andpositioned to form a space between itself and said body to constitute afront storage space for said conductor cord, one end of said frontsupport being movable away from said body upon pivotal movement of saidfront support about its pivotal axis.

2. A cleaner as in claim 1 including spring latch means for holding saidone end of said front support away from said body during the cordwinding operation.

3. In a suction cleaner, an elongated tubular open ended body, a powerunit within said body, a conductor cord for conducting electricity tosaid power unit, an end cap secured to an open end of said body, latchmeans for detachably securing said end cap to said open end, firstsupporting means at the end of said body opposite said end cap, secondsupporting means at the end cap end of said body, said second supportingmeans being U-shaped and having one leg thereof movably secured to saidbody so that its free end rests against said body adjacent said end capwhereby said conductor cord may be Wound beneath said second supportingmeans upon movement of the free end of said second supporting means awayfrom said body and means actuated by movement of the free end of saidsecond supporting means away from said body for releasing said latchmeans.

i. In a suction cleaner according to claim 3 in which said firstsupporting means is also formed to have said conductor cord woundthereon for storage purposes.

5. In a suction cleaner according to claim 3 in which said secondsupporting means is springbiased so that its free end is held againstsaid body.

In a suction cleaner according to claim 3 in which movement of the freeend of said second supporting means away from said body to one positionpermits the winding of said cord thereon and movement thereof to asecond position away from said body releases said latch means.

7. In a suction cleaner according to claim 6 inciuding a spring latchfor holding aid first supporting means in its cord winding position andpermitting movement thereof to its latch releasing position.

8. In a suction cleaner according to claim 3 in which said firstsupporting means comprises a pair of skids having their forward endssloped upwardly and forwardly to constitute runners and their rear endsreentrant inwardly and forwardly to constitute supporting means for saidconductor cord.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,657,152 Dahl Jan. 24, 1928 2,923,867 Bieth Dec. 10, 19352,157,693 Ernolf May 9, 1939 2,292,140 Lofgren Aug. 4., 1942 2,580,642Beede Jan. 1, 1952

